Gig Guide

A Message To Gig Talkers

By gig-talkers, let’s be clear, we don’t mean anybody who talks at gigs. We mean people who talk loudly, continually and without regard to either the performers or the wishes of their fellow gig-goers. At KBL the music is central, not simply a scented candle to an evening out with friends. Please give consideration of what others have come for. When the lights go down shouldn’t be the moment when we learn all about what the man behind us thinks of the people at work, while he prevents the people at work in front of us from doing their job.

THURSDAY 29TH MARCH 2018 – LADIES OF THE BLUES

CONNIE LUSH ERJA LYYTINEN KYLA BROX

This gig is brought to you by BAC2Live for whom KBL is providing an on-line ticket selling facility.

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for future KBL gigs will not be on sale at this event, but may be purchased in the outer bar.

Tickets also available in person from The Octagon during normal opening hours.

Doors 7.00pm, concert starts 7.30pm.

CONNIE LUSH

Connie Lush is regarded as one of the finest blues singers in the UK, five-time winner of best UK vocalist, twice European Blues vocalist of the year, she has performed at some of Europe’s most prestigious festivals, wowed audiences from Moscow to LA and toured the UK with the late, great BB King culminating in an unforgettable night at the Royal Albert Hall.

ERJA LYYTINEN

Take one part blues traditionalist, blend it with a forward-thinking music academy graduate, serve with a side order of skill and a garnish of Nordic beauty. What have you got? Singer/guitarist Erja Lyytinen, a.k.a. “the Finnish slide goddess” (The Blues Magazine).

KYLA BROX

Kyla’s voice remains a stunning example of the soul singer’s art: turning up the heat by degrees, lulling and charming before unleashing emotional catharsis, and blurring the distinction between pleasure and pain like the soul greats of old, Kyla Brox is without doubt the most authentic UK blues and soul singer of her generation.

SATURDAY 7TH APRIL 2018 – MARTIN BARRE

(Special Guest: Felka)

Martin BarreFelka

This gig is brought to you by Marcus Murray for whom KBL is providing an on-line ticket selling facility.

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets for future KBL gigs will not be on sale at this event, but may be purchased in the outer bar.

ADVANCE TICKETS: £20, BLUES BUDDIES £15. BOTH PRICES + £2 ON THE DOOR

Tickets also available in person from The Octagon during normal opening hours.

Martin Barre was the guitarist of Jethro Tull from 1969 until Ian Anderson ‘retired’ the band in 2012, and played a huge role in their success with more than 60 million albums sold worldwide.
Martin’s guitar playing has earned him respect and recognition across the world; his solo from the iconic Tull song ‘Aqualung’ was voted 25th greatest of all time in the USA, and 20th greatest of all time in UK. He also received a Grammy Award in 1988 for his playing on the Tull album ‘Crest Of A Knave’.
Outside Jethro Tull, Martin has worked with artists including Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Gary Moore, Jo Bonamassa and Chris Thompson to name few. He has also shared the stage with such legends as Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.
As Jethro Tull are taking a long break from touring, Martin has put together his own band to play “classic” music from the Tull catalogue as well as material from his solo projects. Vocalist/guitarist and Joe Bo look-alike Dan Crisp supplies stunning vocal interpretations of the Tull back catalogue but it is his harmony guitar that particularly impresses, allowing Martin space and a sound that replicate the album versions albeit in some instances reimagined by the originator. Honourable mention too for Alan Thomson (who spent many years in John Martyn’s band) on bass and occasional mandolin.

ADVANCE TICKETS: £13, BLUES BUDDIES £10. BOTH PRICES + £2 ON THE DOOR

Obviously, as winners of the UK Blues Challenge 2017, Lavendore Rogue is quite clearly one of the hottest bands in the country. Featuring 3 former members of hit European alt-blues act Hokie Joint, (Jo-Jo Burgess, Joel Fisk and Stephen Cutmore) the band was formed in 2013 with the addition of Rob Barry (bass) and Warren Lynn (keys). Ready to hit you with their fiery blend of bourbon-soaked, cross-genre rock/blues, their sound is straight out of the American deep South. However, LaVendore Rogue is no traditional Delta blues band. Their blues has a 21st-century edge, fusing a funky groove with lashings of rock ’n’ roll and a dash of voodoo – all delivered with Jojo Burgess’s spine-chilling vocals and Joel Fisk’s tantalising ‘Keef-esq’ riffs. The band’s aim is not to forget their roots, however, but to garner a wider audience whilst developing their own distinctive style and sound. With a combination of talent and experience LaVendore Rogue is one of the hottest crossover “roots” acts the UK has to offer.

An enigma of sorts. Underground creator of Blues, Folk, Gospel, Hip Hop Fusion sounds and performer, his albums, singles and EP’s are often received with confusion, but this fails to halt him from working!

FRIDAY, 22ND JUNE 2018 – RAINBREAKERS; ELLES BAILEY; TOM C. WALKER

ADVANCE TICKETS: £15, BLUES BUDDIES £12. BOTH PRICES + £2 ON THE DOOR

KBL is proud to present the very cream of young UK blues talent on the circuit today, all together, on the same bill, at the same venue, on the same day for the very first time anywhere. …AND JUST LOOK AT THE TICKET PRICE!

Rainbreakers are without doubt one of the freshest new sounds in the UK blues rock and soul circuit. Employing a distinctive sound that embodies a fusion of dynamic musical elements bridging the gap between blues, rock, pop and soul, the Shrewsbury outfit launched themselves on the UK in 2016 with a string of live dates up and down the country supporting the likes of Corky Laing (Mountain) and The Devon Allman Band. Their performance at that year’s Great British Rock and Blues Festival in Skegness saw them win the crowd vote on the Introducing Stage and gain a place on the Main Stage for the 2017 festival. Their two EPs ‘Rise Up’ and ‘Blood Not Brass’ continue to be played extensively on radio stations across the UK.

Husky voiced Bristol-based Elles released her Nashville recorded debut album, ‘Wildfire’, in September, 2017. Given 5/5 by Maverick magazine, the album debuted at no 2 in the iTunes Blues Charts. Producer Brad Nowell assembled a host of Nashville’s finest, including Grammy Award winner and two-time CMA ‘Musician of the Year’ Brent Mason on guitar and three-time ‘Musician Hall Of Famer’ Bobby Wood on piano. Even legendary Ivor Novello Award-winning songwriter Roger Cook came on board to help add some extra sparkle. As well as being on the Radio 2 play list, the single ‘Wildfire’ finally came off the Planet Rock playlist after a whopping 10 weeks.

Still in his early 20s, following a seven year stretch as a three piece, 2018 sees Tom. C. Walker back on the road but this time with an expanded four piece outfit. Previously headlining the most prestigious venues in the UK including Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Ealing Blues Club, Birmingham Town Hall, and Birmingham Symphony Hall plus a residency at Jools Holland’s The Jam House, Tom’s band also toured with Eric Gales and Devon Allman and still found time to release two EPs, the latter – ‘Into Space’ – debuted in the IBBA top 20 in April and sold in bucket loads worldwide.